Earlier quoted context omitted.
Imagine you're traveling the desert thousands of years ago. You come upon a party of nomads. You would like water, and you would like them not to rob you, kill you, and bury you in the sand. It's very important you don't say or do anything to offend them. You want them to treat you with respect and kindness, so you have to treat them as such. But how do you do that? The rule does not cover that at all. But somehow yo…
Okay I think you get what I'm saying. The Golden Rule would have gotten you killed in the desert if those nomads find flint to be some kind of sacred metal only their priests can carry or something equally absurd. I just don't think "treat people with kindness" is what the Golden Rule says. That might be the intent of the people who reference it, but the Golden Rule literally says, "Treat others how you wish to be tr…
Why interpret it as "do what they would want, not what you would want" ? Because at its root it's asking you to have empathy and compassion. You simply can't achieve both those things without putting yourself in their shoes, and then trying to feel and understand the way they do. At that point, when you are them, you act in a way they would want, and it becomes a compassionate act.
When I was saying before that this benefits you in the end, that's true, though there is no actual reciprocity expected in this rule. It really is all about just doing good for another person.
Ask a theologian about it some time. They explain it better.